History
from Eurocopter to Airbus Helicopters

Introduction

Eurocopter Group was created in 1992 with the merger of the rotorcraft divisions of Aerospatiale (France) and Deutsche Aerospace (Germany). In January 2014, the company was rebranded Airbus Helicopters, opening a new chapter in its history.

2014

January 1, 2014: Eurocopter becomes Airbus Helicopters. The rebranding marks a new era in the history of the company as it joins Airbus and Airbus Defense & Space within the new Airbus Group.

January 27, 2014: The EC175 is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

February 28, 2014: The latest member of the Super Puma family is unveiled: the multi-mission AS332 C1e utility workhorse version.

December 23, 2008: A Eurocopter/Helibras consortium and the Brazilian government sign a contract for 50 EC725s.

2007

February 15, 2007: Certification of the new AS355 NP version of the Ecureuil/A-Star.

March 28, 2007: Inauguration of the new Eurocopter España site in Albacete.

June 20, 2007: Delivery of the first “high cabin” version of the NH90 to the FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration).

June 20, 2007: Celebration of Eurocopter’s 15th anniversary with almost 800 customers at the Château de Chantilly.

August 27, 2007: The first UH-72A “made in America” is delivered to the U.S. Army.

September 2007: The fleet of 96 AS365/HH-65 Dauphins operated by the U.S. Coast Guard crosses the million flight hour mark.

September 25, 2007: The “helicopter by Hermès” is presented to the public at the NBAA trade show in Atlanta.

November 1, 2007: Eurocopter creates Eurocopter UK, its subsidiary in the United Kingdom.

November 30, 2007: The French General Delegation for Armaments (DGA) signs a contract for the provision of 68 NH90s in the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) version, including 12 firm orders.

2006

March 31, 2006: Qualification by NATO Helicopter Management Agency of the TTH German Army variant of the NH90 for the German Army.

April 6, 2006: Inauguration of the Eurocopter subsidiary in Russia, Eurocopter Vostok.

June 5, 2006: Official launch of the Korean Helicopter Program with Korea.

June 30, 2006: The US Army selects 322 UH-72A helicopters (a version of the EC145) for the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program.

December 11, 2006: Delivery of the first UH-72A to the US Army.

December 13, 2006: Delivery of the first three NH90s to the German Army.

2005

March 18, 2005: Delivery of the first HAP Tiger to the French Army.

March 18, 2005: Maiden flight of the first “high cabin” version of the NH90.

April 6, 2005: Delivery of the first UHT Tiger to the German Army.

May 14, 2005: World record for highest altitude takeoff set by a series AS350 B3 Ecureuil/ A-Star.

September 8, 2005: Maiden flight of an aircraft equipped with a rotor control system with servo-flaps.

December 5, 2005: The presidents of AVIC Il, Harbin Aircraft Industry Group and Eurocopter sign the EC175 cooperation agreement.

2004

March 29, 2004: The aeronautical programs division of the French General Delegation for Armaments (DGA) issues the military type certification for the HAP version of the Tiger. On 30 March, the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) then qualifies this version.

2003

December 12, 2003: Maiden flight of the NH90 with full fly-by-wire controls.

2000

June 30, 2000: The four partner states behind the NH90 program sign a contract for the manufacturing phase of the NH90 and the production of an initial batch of 298 aircraft.

July 10, 2000: The EADS Group is formed.

November 27, 2000: Maiden flight of the EC725.

1999

June 11, 1999: The Aerospatiale Matra group is founded.

June 12, 1999: Maiden flight of the EC145, successor to the BK117. The EC145 offers an increased maximum takeoff weight and payload capacity as well as modern cockpit identical to that of the EC135.

June 24, 1999: Maiden flight of the EC130. This new member of the Ecureuil/AStar family offers more cabin space, a very wide visibility and a reduced noise level meeting the Grand Canyon standards required by the American National Parks services.

1998

July 22, 1998: Aerospatiale announces its privatisation by way of a merger with the Lagardère subsidiary Matra Hautes Technologies.

1997

March 4, 1997: Maiden flight of the AS350 B3 Ecureuil/AStar, successor to the Lama. Its powerful engine predestines it for aerial work. Eight years later, it breaks the world record for the highest takeoff altitude from the summit of Mount Everest.

June 17, 1997: Maiden flight of the EC155. This upgraded version of the Dauphin (Spheriflex 5-blades main rotor and quiet Fenestron® tail rotor) provides 40% more cabin space.

July 2, 1997: First fly-by-wire flight of the NH90, the world’s first helicopter to be equipped with a fly-by-wire control system.

Eurocopter Philippines Inc. is formed. Based in Manila, the company is jointly owned by Eurocopter (70%) and PADC (30%).

1996

February 15, 1996: The NH90 performs its first official flight in Marignane before representatives of the customer nations and invited journalists and VIPs.

October 30, 1996: Maiden flight of the AS365 N3, the high-performance version of the Dauphin family.

1995

June 9, 1995: Maiden flight of the EC120. With this helicopter, Eurocopter extends its range to include 1.5 metric ton machines.

1994

February 15, 1994: Maiden flight of the EC135, the first helicopter in the Eurocopter range and successor to the BO108. The most important addition to the EC135 is its Fenestron® tail rotor. It is also equipped with a bearingless main rotor.

1992

January 1, 1992: The helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale (France) and MBB (Germany) merge to form the Eurocopter group.

September 1, 1992: The NH90 development contract is signed.

October 20, 1992: The joint development contract for the EC120 is signed with Catic (China) and Singapore Aerospace Ltd (Singapore).

American Eurocopter is founded: As a result of a merger between the Aerospatiale Helicopter Corporation and the MBB Helicopter Corporation.

Aerospatiale Helicopter Australia becomes Eurocopter International Pacific, later to become Australian Aerospace in 2002.

Eurocopter Service Japan is founded and later renamed Eurocopter Japan in 2005.